Means to an End
by NickyJ2
Summary: When Jamie goes missing, Haley's going to have to look a little closer to her home and heart than she wants to in order to find the answers. Rated M for later chapters, language.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys

**Hey guys! This is my first Naley fanfiction EVER so please give me reviews!! I don't really care if it's good or bad. I'm not an obsessive Naley fan, so I'm apologizing ahead of time if some of my facts are off :P This is taking place right after Lindsey and Lucas' wedding ceremony in S5, but anything after this I can't promise will be totally accurate. Anyhoo, please let me know what you think!! **

**NICKYJ2**

Haley ran out of the church frantically. "Jamie? JAMIE!!" Her heart started pounding faster and faster as she tried to think logically. She was having a hard time sorting out the various thoughts running through her head, especially since most consisted of one thought. Her baby was GONE.

Panicking, she started grabbing anyone she could get her hands on. Wedding guests, bikers, passing shoppers, it didn't really matter. She whipped her wallet out of her purse. "Have you seen this boy? Please, just take a look, this boy?" Growling at the lack of useful answers, she turned quickly and ran back into the church, only to run right into someone as she turned the corner.

"Excuse me." She muttered, as she shoved as quickly as she could past whomever she had run into. Instead of letting go, the person grabbed her wrists and twisted her around. She winced and turned, ready to slap whoever had the guts to stop her when she was trying to find her child. She let out a gasp when she finally realized who it was.

"Nathan." She let out a small whine of pain, and fell into his arms. Nathan's face was shocked as she began sobbing into his chest.

"Hales, what is it?" When he received nothing more than a small moan and a shake of the head in response, he pulled back and forced her head up, making her look at him. "Haley, what's wrong?"

"He's gone Nathan." Haley whispered, her eyes frantically searching the hallways around for **some** sign of the little boy that she loved. "He's missing. I can't find him." She finally looked up at him, and he was shocked at the level of vulnerability in her eyes. "Please, help me find him."

"Haley, who?" Nathan asked quickly, even though he already knew. There was only one person who mattered this much to her. Only one person that could destroy her entire world like this.

She pushed back from his chest, a look of disbelief on her face. "Jamie!" She choked out, before collapsing to the floor in tears. Nathan took off sprinting down the hallway. "Luke!" He yelled. "I need you in the hallway!"

Lucas ran into the hall. Something in Nathan's tone was desperate, something that had been absent from his voice since Haley had come home from her tour. "Nate what's wrong?" He asked, skidding to a stop out of breath.

"Haley's in the hall. Go look after her. I'm gonna grab the car keys and look around the block. Jamie's missing."

It took a minute for Lucas' brain to process all the information, but when it did he reacted. "Go. I'll try and keep her calm until you can get back." Nathan nodded once, grabbed his car keys, and ran to the street.

He jumped into the front seat and sped off, rounding the street corner at an alarming speed. But instead of circling the block, he sped off to the outskirts of town, heading for a seedy little hotel that hardly got business anymore. '_She wouldn't hurt him.'_ He kept repeating to himself. _'She can't. She loves him to much.'_

As soon as Nathan left, Lucas ran down the hall. Haley was still sitting at the same place where Nathan had left her, tears running down her face. She was vacantly staring at the wall, not moving at all. "Hales?" Much like Nathan, Lucas was shocked when her eyes finally met his face.

"Lucas," She whispered. "I lost him. I'm a horrible mother."

"Hales, no." Lucas said forcefully, gently helping her to her feet. When she was finally standing, he held her, because if he let her go he knew that she would sink right back down to the ground. "Haley, you've gotta think for me. Is there anyone who would want Jamie? Do you have any idea where he is?"

Haley turned to face him, as her thoughts were brought more and more back into focus. "Dan." She said, staring straight into Lucas' eyes.

Lucas finally released her and took a step back. "What?" he growled.

"He was here." She replied, her eyes burning with a grim sense of determination. "I saw him before the wedding ceremony. I was so mad, and I walked over and I told him to stay away from us."

Lucas was furious. "Mouth!" He barked. Mouth looked out from the auditorium, startled. "Get Brooke and Peyton." He snapped. "They've got to come with me." Mouth disappeared into the room, and a couple seconds later, ran back out, followed by a blonde woman and a brunette.

Brooke stopped suddenly, her smile fading as she saw the look of despair on Haley's face – and the look of absolute rage on Lucas'. "What happened?" She asked hesitantly.

"Jamie's missing." Lucas got out. "And Haley thinks Dan's behind it. Come with me. We're taking her home."

Peyton immediately walked over to Haley and took her arm, leading her gently but quickly out the door and into the waiting car. Lucas shot a look over his shoulder at Brooke who was still rooted to the floor. Shaking her head, she quickly followed them out.

The ride home was silent. Neither of the four spoke. Haley just looked out the window, while Lucas focused on driving to her house, his jaw clenched the entire time. When the car finally stopped, he jumped out, walked quickly to Haley's door and gathered her in his arms. She silently agreed and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

He laid her on the couch indoors and walked back outside, where Brooke and Peyton were just getting out of the car. "Go inside and watch her." He said simply. "I'll be back soon."

Peyton started walking up to the door, refusing to look his way. He sighed. If it weren't for the seriousness of the case with Jamie, he might pay a little bit of attention to the fact that she hadn't said anything to him for the last three or four days.

"Hey." Brooke's voice caused him to turn. "Where're you going?"

"I'm gonna go see Dan." Lucas said, his eyes narrowing.

Brooke sighed and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid Luke, please?"

Lucas looked at her. "I can't just go without asking him Brooke. Not if he has anything to do with this."

She shook her head. "I didn't say you shouldn't go see him. I just don't want you to get hurt or do something you'll regret."

"I won't." He said, getting in the car and driving off.

"I hope not," she replied quietly, wrapping her arms around her bare shoulders, before turning and following Peyton into the house.

As Lucas sped towards Dan's house, he tried to work out exactly what he was going to say in his head. Somehow, he couldn't get much farther than what he really wanted to do – which was go in fists swinging and ask questions later.

Pulling up to the house he got out and practically ran to the front door, pounding on it with his fists. Waiting for an answer, he glared at the door and shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"Lucas." Dan said, surprised as he opened the door. "To what do I owe this visit?" He asked, stepping back slightly as Lucas shoved his way into the room.

"Oh, I think you know." Lucas replied, clenching his teeth and his fists inside his pants pockets. "Jamie went missing at the wedding. Haley says she saw you outside right before it started. Why don't you start filling in the blanks?"

"She thinks I took Jamie?" Dan asked. "Why would I take my grandson, especially if I wanted to try and impress my daughter in law?"

"DON'T call her that." Lucas seethed. "My best friend is laying on a couch in her house completely silent because her son was stolen on a day that was supposed to be the best day of my life. And you might have something to do with it. If I find out anything that even puts you in the same AREA as Jamie and Haley, I'll be back." With that he turned and ran out of the house, anxious to get back to his best friend.

Dan shook his head as the door slammed behind Lucas. He watched out the window until he saw for sure that Lucas was out of eyesight of the house. As soon as he felt it was safe, he turned and grabbed his car keys. Pulling out of the driveway, he headed in the opposite direction that Lucas had just taken.

Across town, an hour or so before Haley discovered Jamie was missing, a car pulled up into the parking lot of a hotel on the outskirts of town, and two people got out. One was tall, thin, and wore a large overcoat and hat which she kept pulled down over her eyes. The other was shorter, younger, and much more carefree.

Jamie laughed happily as he ran up to the door of their hotel room. "Nanny Carrie, can we watch a movie tonight together?" He asked, a smile on his face as the door finally unlocked. He instantly ran to the bed and began to jump up and down on it, seeing how high he could go before his legs finally gave way.

"Sure Jamie." Carrie smiled. She really had missed this boy. "But first, let's go take a bath and get you out of those fancy clothes okay?" Digging into the suitcase she had brought she tossed Jamie a pair of underwear, shorts and a t-shirt. "Now, go to the bathroom and wait for me."

"Okay," he agreed happily, running off to the bathroom. She sighed, looking down as she felt the purse on her arm begin to vibrate. Finally digging her phone out, she gave another sigh as she saw the name. She walked quickly into the bathroom. "Jamie honey, I forgot something in the car. I'm gonna put a movie in, and I want you to wait on the bed for me until I get back, okay?" Jamie nodded again.

After she put the movie in, Carrie pulled the curtains so that he couldn't see outside. "To block the light from the TV." She explained, when he turned to her confused. Nodding, he went back to his movie. She opened the door, slid out and locked it behind her. Turning she gasped as she noticed for the first time the man leaning against the railing.

"Damn it, you scared me." Walking over she stood behind him and looked out at the parking lot. It was late afternoon and heat waves were coming off the pavement. "It's hot out here. Can't we go to a deli or something?"

"What about Jamie?" The man asked, looking back at the hotel room. He couldn't see in through the closed curtains.

Carrie shrugged. "I put on a video and told him to wait on the bed. He's a good kid, he'll do as he's told."

"Carrie…" the man said, a hint of warning in his voice.

"I know," she winced. "I didn't hurt him, just like you said."

"Good." He seemed satisfied, and for a minute nothing else was said. Finally, he spoke again.

"Did you have to take him the day of the wedding?" He asked, a little irritated.

"Well, when else was I supposed to do it. Haley always keeps a close eye on him." Her mouth curled up around the edges and her eyes narrowed as she said Haley's name.

He frowned at her reaction. "Well, you could have had a little bit more….finess about it. Haley noticed almost instantly."

"Yeah, an hour later." She said with a smirk. "Some mother."

"Don't talk about her like that." The man said, his voice going quieter. Carrie fought the shimmer of fear that ran down her spine, and looked straight into his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. This whole little thing is to bring that little group of people 'closer' to you. You do know that if they ever found out you did this, 'closer' is the last thing they would want to be with you."

"It's worth it." The man said quietly, looking back out over the pavement. "They're worth it. I want to be a family again."

"Right." Carrie snorted, then shrugged her shoulders. "If that's the way you wanna play it." Glancing sideways at the man, she noticed how his suit was disheveled, and just the top 3 buttons of his white shirt unbuttoned, giving her a lovely view of his chest.

She smirked and edged closer. "You know, since we're going to be working so closely together…" she stopped and let her voice trail off, running her hand up his arm suggestively.

He grabbed her wrist and put her hand back onto the railing. "I'm still married." He said firmly, standing up and getting ready to walk down the stairs to his car.

Carrie laughed. "You've got a twisted sense of justice Nathan." She said. He turned with a smirk.

"I know."

Smirking back, Carrie turned to head back into the room before she remembered something. Turning she leaned over the railing. "How long am I keeping him for?" she yelled down at Nathan.

He looked up and remained quiet for a second, the look on his face thoughtful. "Until things are right between Haley and me. Until we're back where we need to be, perfectly in love like were in high school." With that he got in his car and drove off, and with another shrug, Carrie returned to her room.

Lucas looked up, a relieved look crossing his features when he saw his brother finally walk through the front door. "Finally man. Where you been? I think Haley needs you the most right now." Nathan waited until his brothers back was turned before allowing himself to smile.

"Finally." He whispered under his breath. He walked into the living room, and sucked in a breath at the sight of his wife sitting up on the couch. Even though she had been crying she still looked beautiful. He felt slightly guilty for a second about being the cause of her pain. But it stopped when she got up and flung herself into his arms.

"Nathan, I'm so scared" she whispered, as her tears soaked the front of his t-shirt. Holding her in his arms, he whispered words of encouragement. "I'm here baby. Nothing's gonna happen. It's just you and me. I'm here." '_Just you and me'_ he thought, and smirked into her hair.

**What'd you think? REEEVVIEEEWWSSS. **


	2. Chapter 2

Hey you guys

**Hey guys. I know there are a bunch of people waiting for this chapter, if only from the huge response to the first one (thank you so much!). And I can't apologize enough for not updating sooner ******** Thanks for being so patient guys. And I promise, it won't ever take me this long to update again ******

**In my defense, my internet did decide to be completely STUPID. So in the future if it DOES take me a while to update, it's not because I'm not writing, it's because my internet decided to have a mind of it's own.**

**Thanks, and please review and let me know what you think!! **

**3 NickyJ2 **

Carrie watched as Nathan drove off. Shaking her head, she walked back into her hotel room and shut the door. She patted Jamie on the head and sat down next to him, focusing her attention on the movie he was watching. 5 minutes later, she groaned at a sudden knock at the door. She got up to answer it and opened the door with a smirk. "Back already…"

The question died on her lips as whoever it was shoved her up against the wall. 'Jamie run,' she screamed. Or tried to. She was able to get out "Jamie…" before the stranger's grip on her throat tightened.

"Nanny Carrie?" Jamie asked, backing into the corner. The attacker turned around and his eyes widened in fear. "Jamie, don't be afraid. I'm here to help you." The man spoke softly, but Jamie just shook his head and closed his eyes.

Dan turned back to Carrie, his eyes hard. "What did you do to my grandson?" She struggled against his hand, and he forced himself to loosen his grip. "I didn't do anything." She gasped out finally. With a grimace, he dropped her on the floor and turned to Jamie.

"What did she do to you son?" He asked with a quiet intensity. Jamie raised his head and opened his eyes. "Nothing, honest. She even kept that man outside earlier." Eyes narrowing, he turned to Carrie, only to catch her looking at Jamie with a look of panic on her face. Standing up, he started towards her.

"Who did you meet with?" She backed up, her eyes searching frantically for a way out. "No one," she stammered quickly, eyes widening as she felt her back hit the wall behind her.

He scoffed. "I don't know why I'm surprised. You're not smart enough to carry this plan out on your own." He smirked. "Come on. I'll be nicer if you tell me…"

Straightening up suddenly, she smiled and shook her head slowly 'no'. Dan's smirk faded. She had information he wanted, and she knew it. "Come on Jamie" he said, waiting while the younger boy took his hand. With a final sneer in Carrie's direction, he headed towards the door.

"No!" Carrie cried suddenly, latching onto Dan's arm. Grunting in disgust, he jerked his arm free and she flew towards the far wall. Leading Jamie out into the car, he buckled him into the back seat and walked back inside.

He looked down at Carrie, who was still crumpled against the far wall. "If you ever come near that boy again, people will spend the rest of their lives, wondering where you disappeared to. Do I make myself clear?" His voice was quiet, and there was no doubt that he meant every word he said.

When she nodded, he walked back inside and drove off with Jamie. He didn't go far however, stopping at the office. Walking inside, he flashed the head clerk a disarming smile. "My name is Dan Scott. Would it be possible for me to look at your security tapes?"

………………………

Nathan closed the refrigerator door and grabbed the plate that he had been fixing. Walking back into the living room, he sat the plate down in front of Haley and then sat next to her on the sofa. "I fixed you a sandwich." He said, putting his arm around her.

She gave him a small smile, but pushed the plate away, shaking her head at his frown. "I'm not hungry." She stated softly, leaning against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

Nathan frowned. "Haley, you have to eat." She shook her head, eyes still closed. "I'm not hungry." She insisted. He was about to reply, when Lucas stuck his head in from the kitchen.

"The cops are here Hales. They wanna ask you some questions." She got up slowly and walked into the kitchen, both Lucas and Nathan watching her go. One with sympathy and the other with grim determination.

Lucas walked over to the couch, sat down and leaned his head back. "I'm worried about her man." He said, closing his eyes. "Mmhm." Nathan replied absentmindedly, staring off into space. Lucas opened his eyes and sat back up.

"You know I'm here for you if you need anything. Although," Lucas said, clapping him on the back, "I gotta say you're taking the whole situation really well."

Nathan raised his head and looked in Lucas' direction. "What did you say?" He said quietly, eyes narrowing just the tiniest bit. Lucas raised his hands and leaned back slightly. "Nothing bad, just saying that you don't exactly look like the most worried father in the world."

"Of course I'm worried." Nathan snapped. "I just think that since Haley's here and she's so upset, I should do my best to support her right now, since I can't do anything for Jamie!" Lucas' eyes widened, and he scooted backwards on the couch.

"Nate, I get that! I know you're just trying to protect Haley, and I didn't say it was a bad thing. I was **about** to say that I thought it was a really good idea!" Nathan was about to reply, but stopped himself. "Sorry Luke. Guess I'm a little more stressed out than I thought I was." Luke rose and patted him awkwardly on the back.

"That's okay, I understand. Call me if you need me." He looked around the room and headed reluctantly into the kitchen. "Brooke, I'm heading over to let Mom know what happened. You want a ride?"

The brunette looked up from where she was standing with Haley and two police officers. "No thanks Luke. But," she said with a nod towards the blonde who was sitting at the table with her head on her arms. "You could definitely give Peyton one."

She looked up at the sound of her name, shaking her head when she saw what was being addressed. "Brooke, I'm fine. I'll just wait for you here." She shook her head firmly when she saw Brooke about to protest.

Brooke frowned. "Peyton, could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, nodding towards the back door. Peyton sighed and followed her outside.

Brooke put her hands on her hips and turned on her friend. "P Sawyer, you are going home. AH!" she said, holding up her hand to keep Peyton from commenting. "You are tired. This day was incredibly hard for you, between the wedding and Jamie going missing. You need a ride home, and I honestly couldn't care if it was the Grim Reaper offering. Your going to go home and go to sleep and rest. Now talk."

Peyton shook her head. "Brooke, I am not getting in a car with Lucas, **especially** after today. It would just be awkward. And you know I hate awkward…"

Brooke threw her hands up. "Peyton, it's like a 10 minute drive! Yes, it would be awkward, but you two need to talk anyway."

"I'm not talking to him. He made his decision, and it wasn't me, and now we're both going to have to live with it." She said, crossing her arms.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Yes, Peyton, he made a decision. I've also noticed that him and his blushing bride aren't exactly 'happily married.' Have you noticed that??"

"God Brooke, I'm not going to seduce him!!" Peyton practically screeched, horrified. Brooke laughed, and quickly shushed her.

"I'm not saying you **seduce** him Peyton!" she said, still laughing quietly. "I'm just saying it would do you two good to talk. You were friends a long time ago, and I know you two have a ton of history now, but that doesn't mean that you two can't at least sort this thing out."

Peyton shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Fine. I will let him drive me home. But I am not promising we will talk, and I **will** be the only person in the house when you come home."

Brooke frowned and faked disappointment. "Awww." Peyton laughed and smacked her friend on the arm before going into the house and walking towards Lucas with a grimace. "Can I have a ride home?" she asked. He nodded and they left.

Nathan watched as they left, and breathed a sigh of relief. He had to remember to fake worry a lot more. Lucas had almost called him on it tonight. With a quiet groan, he got up and walked into the kitchen.

Brooke was ushering the cops out the door, giving them her version of the events and telling them what exactly SHE thought they should be doing. Haley was leaning up against the counter, exhausted. Walking up to her, Nathan slipped his arms around her waist.

Feeling his arms around her waist, she sighed in contentment and leaned back into him. "How you feeling." She smiled, content, when his hot breath fanned over her ear.

"Completely drained." She responded quietly, her eyes closing. "I just want to go to bed and forget all about this. But I won't until Jamie's safe." Nathan watched frowning, as her face turned down into a sad grimace.

"He'll be fine." He whispered. "Trust me."

"I hope so." She responded quietly, her voice trailing off at the end. Holding her up, Nathan helped her back into the living room. He was just about to put her down on the couch when there was a commotion in the front hall. He watched in shock as small feet were heard, and around the corner came James Lucas Scott.

"Mama, mama!" Haley shot up off the coach. Running to her son, she picked him up and hugged him hard. "Jamie, honey, I'm so happy your safe." She whispered through the tears of joy running silently down her face. She kissed him on his forehead and both cheeks, smiling when he started squirming in her arms.

"Baby, where were you, what happened?" Haley sat him down and knelt down next to him, looking him in the eyes. "Nothing mama," he shrugged easily. "Grandpa Dan saved me."

Haley looked as the tall man rounded the corner. "Haley." He said, nodding in her direction. "Nathan." He smiled as he was met with a glare from his son.

"Dan." Turning to her husband, Haley patted his arm. "Nathan, go call Lucas and tell him we found Jamie. He left to take Peyton home." Nathan headed for the phone, his eyes not leaving Dan's until he turned the corner and was out of sight.

"Hello?" Lucas picked up the phone and listened for a minute. "Well, that's great Nate! Let me drop her off and I'll head back." Lucas hung up and grimaced as the awkward silence settled back into the car again.

"That was Nathan. Jamie's back." Lucas turned to look at the curly blonde sitting next ot him. She refused to meet his gaze, opting to look out the window instead.

"Great." She crossed her arms over her chest. Lucas felt his hands tighten inadvertently on the steering wheel. Stopping in front of her house, she reached for the door handle, shocked when the locks clicked into place.

Eyes burning, she spun around. "Lucas Scott, let me out of this car."

"Nope." He said. "We need to talk, Peyton."

"We have nothing to talk about." She hissed. "That's not true and you know it." Lucas said, shaking his head. "Our past isn't going to go away Peyton. It's always gonna be there, and as long as we don't address it, those feelings are gonna be there to."

Peyton threw her hands in the air. "What feelings? There aren't feelings anymore! There's just what used to be and nothing else. Now, I know you lost Lindsey today, but that doesn't change the fact that you chose her in the first place! And that hurt Lucas, and damn it, but I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that nothing happened!"

Lucas sat back, stunned by the force of her anger. Leaning over him, she pushed the unlock button and got hastily out of the car. "Thanks for the ride." She threw over her shoulder. He waited until the front door was closed before driving off. She was kidding herself if she thought that it was ending here.

Haley walked slowly over to the chair where Dan Scott was sitting. When he saw her coming he got up and started to say something, but she waved him off.

"Look. I'm not saying that you're gonna be welcomed back into our family with open arms. But you did give me my son back, and for that I'm grateful." She stuck out her hand and he shook it. Pulling back, she looked questioningly at the small white paper he had deposited in her hand. Reading it, she looked up, her eyes hard again.

"Get out." She said threw clenched teeth. She watched her hands tightening to keep from slapping his face as he walked out the door with a smug smile. Turning, she headed upstairs to the bedroom, shutting the door with a bang.

She grabbed the phone and dialed his cellphone number. "Hello?"

"I don't care if you did give me back my son. You stay away from me and my family. We are perfectly happy, and there is no way in hell that you're going to mess that up."

"Oh, I'm not the one trying to. You'd be smart to listen to me."

She responded with a shrill laugh. "Listen to you? Dan I can't stand to be around you much less listen to you. I don't give a shit what the hell you have. Just leave us along."

Hanging up the phone she dropped her face into her trembling hands. She opened the small white note and read it again.

_You don't know your husband as well as you think you do. Call me. I have something you need to see. _


End file.
